Car-stake.



J. BAGLEY.

CAB. STARE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 2, 1968.

' Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BAGLEY, OF TAOOMA, WASHINGTON.

CAR-STAKE To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BAGLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Car-Stake, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improvement in car stakes such as are used on flat or other like cars, and has for its purpose the provision of a comparatively light and strong device of this character, which may be released instantaneously with other like stakes at the same side of the car and be easily erected.

To this end I preferably construct the stake proper of an iron pipe and fill it with a light and strong core, such as wood, and seat the lower end of the stake in a pocket which is made to embrace it at opposite sides and at the front of its lower extremity. To the stake is attached, preferably above the pocket, a link or other equivalent device which is engaged by a lever at the inside of the car sill, operating to force the stake toward the car. The lower end of the locking lever is engaged by a latch which is operatively connected by a cable also in connection with the latches of the other stakes at the same side of the car. When the cable is pulled, all of the latches are simultaneously moved out of the path of the levers, which in turn release the links and permit the stakes to drop out of the pockets. The latches and locking levers are automatically returned, and the stakes preferably have iiexible connections with the car in order to prevent their complete disconnection therefrom when released from the pockets.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specilication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car stake embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a partial cross-section through the car and one of the stakes, illustrating the locking mechanism therefor; F ig. 8 is a plan of the stake; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the car at the inside of the side sill.

The stake 5 is preferably made of an iron pipe having a strong light core 6, such as wood, and its lower end seats within a pocket 7 which is attached to the outside of the side sill by means of bolts, as shown in Fig. 1. In forming the pocket, a flat metal Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led June 2, 1908.

Fatented Nov. 10, 1908.

Serial No. 436,210.

plate is employed which is slit at opposite sides both at the top and bottom, and the metal curved outwardly to form fingers 8, conforming to and embracing the stake. A further finger 9 is formed at the bottom of the plate which is turned outwardly and upwardly to engage the lower extremity of the stake at the front, as clearly shown in Fig.

The stake has attached thereto above the pocket, an eye 10, through which passes a link 11 extending inwardly over the deck of the car, the opposite and inner end of the link being engaged by a locking lever 12 pivotally supported on a pin 13 carried by a casting 141 secured to the inside of the side sill. This casting, as best shown in Figs. Q and l, is channeled vertically for receiving the lever, and at one side near the bottom is provided with a keeper 15 within which engages a latch 16 pivotally supported at the opposite side of the casting and movable over the lower' end of the lever. The latch 1G is in the nature of a bell-crank lever, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and has its lower arm connected with a longitudinally extending cable 17 which is also in connection with the latches of such other stakes as are at the same side of the car. The cable 17 extends to a convenient point for operation, ordinarily one end of the car, and is in connection with a spring' 18 operating to automatically return the latches 16 to a normal operative position when the cable is released after being pulled.

The pivot opening for the locking lever 141, it will be observed from Fig. 2, instead of closely tting the pin 13 is elongated in the direction of the levers length, which adapts the lever to be lifted over the latch without moving the latter within the keeper.

The stake is connected with the car by a flexible member 19, ordinarily a chain, which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4L, has its ends respectively connected to an eye-bolt carried by the intermediate' portion of the pocket, and an eye-bolt passing through the stake.

Vhen it is desired to unload a flat or other like car supplied with my improved stakes, the cable 17 at that side of the car from which the car is to be unloaded is pulled, operating to withdraw all of the latches at one time from their respective locking levers which in turn release the links, permitting the stakes to instantaneously drop. lVhen the cable is released, the spring 1S returns the latches to operative position and the locking levers drop by gravity and will strike on the outside of the latches if the cable is released immediately after it is pulled. These levers may be returned to the inside of the latches by again pulling the cable or by sliding the levers on their respective pivot pins 13. rlhe flexible connections prevent the stakes from being wholly disconnected from the car and lost, and the loss of any of the links 1l is avoided by reason of their attachment to the stakes.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. The combination of a car stake, a pocket for receiving the lower end of the stake, a member attached to the stake, a locking lever for engaging the member and drawing the stake toward the car, and a latch for securing the handle of the locking lever.

2. A car stake composed of an iron-pipe having' a wooden c ore.

3. A car stake composed of an iron pipe having a core of relatively strong and light material.

4. The combination of a car stake, a pocket for receiving the lower end of the stake, a link attached to the stake and extending inwardly over the platform of the car, and a locking lever for engaging the inner end of the link at the top of said platform and retaining` the stake in the pocket.

5. The combination of a car stake, a pocket in which the stake is seated, having lingers at the upper and lower portions thereof for emb 'acing the stake at opposite sides, a linger at its lower end for embracing the lower extremity of the stake at the front, and means for preventing the stake from falling outwardly from the pocket.

6. The combination of a car, a car stake arranged at the outside of the side sill of the car, a member in connection with the stake, extending inwardly of the car, and means at the inside of said side sill for engaging said member and locking the stake to the car.

7. The combination of a car, a car stake pocket attached thereto, a stake seated in the pocket, a flexible connection between the stake and car, a member in connection with the stake, extending inwardly of the car approximately parallel to the platform thereof, a locking lever for engaging said member, and a latch for engaging the locking lever.

S. The combination of a car stake, a pocket for receiving the lower end of the stake, a member in engagement with the stake, a locking lever for engaging said member and holding the stake in the pocket, a latch for engaging the locking lever, a cable for withdrawing the latch from the locking lever, and means for automatically returning the latch when the cable is released.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN BAGLEY.

1Witnesses SAMUEL WiLsov, GEO. D HnwnEGEN. 

